


Not Only Monsters Hide Under the Bed

by FireflySong



Series: Pride Month Writing Prompt Challenge 2020 [29]
Category: Tales of Phantasia
Genre: Child Death, Gen, Heavy Angst, aint no happy ending here folks, have fun, lots of death really, this is by far the most depressing thing ive ever written, three guesses to when this takes place and the first two dont count
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:00:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25022785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireflySong/pseuds/FireflySong
Summary: Ami is hiding under Chester's bed as Toltus burns around her and everyone is being slaughtered. But Chester will come for her! He will! Won't he?Written for Day 29: Distance of the Pride Month Writing Prompt Challenge over on tumblr.
Series: Pride Month Writing Prompt Challenge 2020 [29]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1770988
Kudos: 1





	Not Only Monsters Hide Under the Bed

**Author's Note:**

> realized that i havent written any angst for this fandom yet. decided to fix that.
> 
> you can find me on tumblr at love-fireflysong if you feel so inclined!

Ami was hiding under the bed. She was shaking so much, scared tears dripping down her face and the only reason she wasn’t sobbing out loud in fear was because of her hand clasped tightly over her nose and mouth so no noise would escape. She still couldn’t believe that any of this had happened. Chester and Cress had left to go for a hunt, and then about an hour later, she had heard the first scream.

A scream cut short by the wet sound of a blade ripping through flesh near the entrance to Toltus, not far from her house. She wondered if had been Clara that screamed. Maybe one of the new visitors to the town. She didn’t want to know.

She hoped Chester came soon. She hoped that he would never come. She wanted him to save her. She didn’t want him to see any of this.

The sound of the town’s bell ringing had come soon after, a clanging sound that filled her head and almost convinced her to remove her hands from her mouth to her ears. Considering the heavy footfalls and clank of armor that soon followed up the stairs, she was glad she hadn’t. At least Garret had made it up to ring the bell in the first place. Even off in the forest, Chester and Cress should be able to hear it and come quickly.

She was so scared. Ami could smell smoke and fire in the air now. She had heard the priest and nun ushering people into the church, promising protection under the light of Saint Lenios. She thinks it was the first building that they set on fire. There was still screaming as people burned to death in the church, she thinks that the invaders had barricaded the door so no one could escape the flames.

Why wasn’t Cress’s father doing anything? Wasn’t he supposed to be a skilled swordsman, with a dozen pupils under his training? Why weren’t they fighting back? Or had they tried and already fallen?

Ami doesn’t think Cress would have. Cress is so strong, so kind. He would have been able to beat these guys in no time. She holds the doll of Cress she had made tighter to her chest to protect her. It was supposed to be a gift for him, but she hadn’t quite finished sewing it until just before the knights came. She hopes she can still give it to him. For now though, it’s enough to make her believe that Cress and her brother will come. It gives her the strength to stay quiet.

A couple of the knights are still smashing around on second floor of the house. And a couple more are on the floor below. The two with her are breaking open wardrobes and dressers, though whether looking for her or anything valuable, she isn’t too sure. Ami watches in wide-eyed horror as the feet of one of them step into her view from under the bed, stepping uncaringly onto the pillow that she had forgotten to throw back onto the bed this morning. The metal boots are covered in horrifying mixture of red, brown, and black. She shrinks back as far as she can against the wall.

She wonders if any of the blood on the boots, tracking bloody footprints across her once clean floor, belonged to Ruth and Desmond. They were supposed to be getting married next month. It was all the two of them would ever talk about. Instead, she had heard Desmond yell at Ruth to run while he held them back. A strangled, wet gasp had quickly followed, followed almost immediately by a heart-shattering scream that was silenced almost as soon as it had begun. She hopes that they’re in heaven together at least.

Thankfully, the boots leave her view and she almost sobs in relief at the sight. But she doesn’t, hand still clasped tightly over her mouth and her other clenched white-knuckled at the Cress doll for strength. There’s a grunt of anger, and then an apple slowly rolls into her view from where she had placed it on the desk by the window. The red skin is now marred with bruises and the color reminds her of blood on the knights boots.

She hopes Mr Findley from Goalie was able to hide or get away. He was always so nice to her, giving her apples because he knew they were her favourites. Especially after her parents were killed by brigands a few years back when they had been bringing back supplies for him to sell.

Ami doesn’t think she’s gonna like apples anymore after this.

Why wasn’t Chester here yet? He should have heard the bell ringing by now surely. Soon, he was going to be here to save her soon. Right?

And the, Ami hears it. The sound of the boots going down the stairs and about to leave. She can’t believe her luck. She’s going to be okay! They never found her!

“There’s nothing upstairs General. No pendant.”

Pendant? Like the one Cress wears all the time? They’re looking for him? She hopes he stays far away and doesn’t come here. She doesn’t want Cress to die too.

“You’re sure?”

“Yessir. We both ransacked any drawer there was up there and there was no pendant to be found. If it’s actually in this village, then the person who has it ain’t here.”

“And you made sure to leave no witnesses behind?”

“There was no one up there either. House was silent as a ghost. Think we killed everyone already.”

“You morons!” There’s a sudden clatter of metal ringing to the ground the floor below and a wet splash. “The oven’s on and there’s food cooking! Of course someone’s here! Now go and find them!”

The mabo curry. They knew she was here. They knew she was here and they dumped the mabo curry. She heard the clanging of metal boots climb the stairs again and closed her eyes. She prayed to Saint Lenios. Maybe if she stayed quiet and didn’t move, they wouldn’t find her. 

Soon enough the boots were back in front of her eyes, but instead of retreating as they did before, there was a pair of hands under the frame. And Chester’s bed, the one she had been hiding under, was flipped over and up as the bed fell to the floor with a loud shatter and splintering of wood.

Ami looks terrified into the covered face of the knight and screams. Where was Chester? Where was her big brother?

She tried to scramble to her feet and run past the knight, somehow managing to dodge the hands and sword he held. And ran straight for the open hole in the wall where the a window once was. She could jump. The ground wasn’t very far, wasn’t it? She could jump and survive surely.

Where is Chester?

Before she can jump, there’s a hand at the back of her dress and lifting her up. Her screams turn into terrified sobs as the hand lifts her higher. And then a sudden burning sensation in her stomach as a sword pierces her back and out the front and she is dropped uselessly to the floor. She curls up into a ball as blood bubbles out between her fingers and onto the Cress Doll she is still clutching onto.

Where was Chester? Why didn’t her big brother come save her? Didn’t he love her anymore?

“There. That should be the only one. There’s no one else under any of the other beds. We’re done here.”

Ami hears them leave, but the sound is faint, muffled through the fog that’s clouded her brain.

Maybe they already killed Chester. That’s why he wasn’t here. He tried, but they killed him anyway. 

She’s starting to feel cold now. It’s at odd with the fires raging around town. She wonders if this was how her mom and dad felt when they died. Maybe she would get to see them again. That would be nice.

So tired. Can barely keep her eyes open.

“AMI! AMI!”

Chester. She could hear him running up the stairs, tripping the third step like always did when he was in a hurry. He was alive. He came for her after all.

He ca


End file.
